SKU: GI.G-9818

ISBN 9781622773534.

“For a long time, there has been a perception that Catholics can’t or won’t sing in church. But this is not accurate: Catholics can and do sing… We all are called by Christ to love one another. If singing is a way to do that, why hold back?” --Diana Kodner Gökçe “Singing with one another,” the author reminds us, “is both prayer and an act of love. It heightens our worship, and helps us remember words of praise, thanks, petition, and most importantly, the Word of God. A great voice is not required. Singing is beneficial, and a precious gift from God.”Music is sung prayer, when we sing, we give voice to a mystery that cannot be expressed in mere words…and yet, many are hesitant to raise their voices in song when we gather together to worship.   Filled with wisdom for new Catholics as well as those who have been attending liturgy all their lives, this book gives the person in the pews prayerful insight and solid foundation in the basics of the music we sing every week at Mass. Why Do We Sing? examines why but also when and how we sing in church: What is the significance of the different things we sing? What difference does it make if I sing, especially since I am not a very good singer? How do I get over my self-consciousness with singing? A book for everyone in the parish, this book seeks to help every liturgical gathering find its musical voice and more fully embrace its ability to participate fully, actively, and consciously in the liturgy.  Diana Kodner Gökçe is the author of Handbook for Cantors, 3rd edition (GIA Publications, Inc.). She has taught liturgical music at Loyola University and worked as a music minister in numerous Chicagoland parishes including Holy Name Cathedral. She is currently Liturgical Music Coordinator at The Frances Xavier Warde School.  To receive the quantity discount (25 or more copies—$4.00 each) call our customer service department at 1-800-GIA-1358.  .

SKU: PR.11441998S

UPC: 680160681730. 9 x 12 inches.

The ancient Egyptian empire began around 3100 B.C. and continued for over 3000 years until Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C. Over the centuries, the Egyptian empire grew and flourished into a highly developed society. They invented hieroglyphics, built towering pyramids (including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World), and the created many household items we still use today, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeliner, black ink, and the forerunner of modern-day paper. Included among their achievements were a series of highly developed funerary practices and beliefs in the Afterlife. As the average lifespan of an Egyptian hovered around 30 years, living past the death of oneAs physical body was a legitimate concern. Egyptians believed that upon death, their souls would undertake a harrowing journey through the Netherworld. If they survived the horrific creatures and arduous trials that awaited them, then their souls would be reunified with their bodies (hence the need to preserve the body through mummification) and live forever in a perfect version of the life they had lived in Egypt. To achieve this, Egyptians devised around 200 magical spells and incantations to aid souls on the path to the Afterlife. These spells are collectively called The Book of the Dead. Particular spells would be chosen by the family of the deceased and inscribed on the tombAs walls and scrolls of papyrus, as well as on a stone scarab placed over the deceasedAs heart. Subsequent collections of spells and mortuary texts, such as The Book of Gates, assisted a soul in navigating the twelve stages of the Netherworld. Not only did these spells protect and guide the soul on this dangerous path, but they also served as a safeguard against any unbecoming behavior an Egyptian did while alive. For instance, if a person had robbed another while alive, there was a spell that would prevent the soulAs heart from revealing the truth when in the Hall of Judgment. Rites for the Afterlife follows the path of a soul to the Afterlife. In Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead (movement 1), the soul leaves the body and begins the journey, protected by spells and incantations written on the tombAs walls. In Passage though the Netherworld (movement 2), the soul is now on a funerary barque, being towed through the Netherworld by four of the regionAs inhabitants. We hear the soul slowly chanting incantations as the barque encounters demons, serpents, crocodiles, lakes of fire, and other terrors. The soul arrives at The Hall of Judgment in movement 3. Standing before forty-two divine judges, the soul addresses each by name and gives a A!negative confessionA(r) connected to each judge (i.e. A!I did not rob,A(r) A!I did not do violence,A(r) and so on). Afterwards, the soulAs heart is put on a scale to be weighed against a feather of MaAat, the goddess of truth. If the heart weighs more than the feather, it will be eaten by Ammut, a hideous creature that lies in wait below the scale, and the soul will die a second and permanent death (this was the worst fear of the Egyptians). But if the heart is in balance with the feather, the soul proceeds onward. The final stage of the journey is the arrival at The Field of Reeds (movement 4), which is a perfect mirror image of the soulAs life in ancient Egypt. The soul reunites with deceased family members, makes sacrifices to the Egyptian gods and goddess, harvests crops from plentiful fields of wheat under a brilliant blue sky, and lives forever next to the abundant and nourishing waters of the Nile. Rites for the Afterlife was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment on behalf of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Brigham Young University Reed Quintet. -S.G.

SKU: JK.01885

UPC: 093285018853. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, Matthew 5:4, 1 Peter 5:7.

Thirty-one favorite funeral hymns arranged in a continuous medley for organ prelude/postlude.
You can start anywhere in the book and end anywhere!
Pedals are included within the staff.
Songs included in this book:
Comfort and Hope
Be Still, My Soul
The Lord is My Shepherd
Nearer, My God, To Thee
Where Can I Turn For Peace?
Come unto Jesus
Lead, Kindly Light
Jesus Christ
I Know That My Redeemer Lives
Beautiful Savior
I Believe in Christ
I Stand All Amazed
He Sent His Son
How Great Thou Art
The Love of God
Our Savior's Love
Love One Another
My Heavenly Father Loves Me
I Feel My Savior's Love
Where Love Is
Faith and Devotion
Come, Follow Me
I Need Thee Every Hour
Because I Have Been Given Much
Amazing Grace
In the Garden
Softly and Tenderly
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Each Life That Touches Ours For Good
Eternal Families
Families Can Be Together Forever
Love at Home
Oh, What Songs of the Heart
I Am a Child of God
O My Father
Closing
God Be With You Till We Meet Again
Abide with Me!
Abide with Me, 'Tis Eventide
Anthems
Goin' home
Consider the Lilies
Holy Art Thou
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Composer: Various
Arranger: Brent Jorgensen
Difficulty: Medium
Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, Matthew 5:4, 1 Peter 5:7.